Parents
by XXPay4XtraShippingsXX
Summary: Has anyone ever expected a lot of you because of your parents? Well, that's me. My name is Squirrel. I'm a Luxio. My parents saved the world from being paralyzed when they were younger than me. Now they want me to train at their old guild and be just as good? Heck no! But is Squirrel going to have a terrible time or the time of her life? Read to find out! K plus cuz I worry alot.
1. I join the guild

Has anyone ever expected a lot of you because of your parents? Well, that's me. Let me explain…  
My name is Squirrel. I'm a Luxio. I'm the daughter of Thunder the Luxray and Flame the Ninetales. They saved the world from being paralyzed when they were younger than me. Now they're ultra-famous explorers. And get this: my mom was born a _human_. And she's from the _future_. And I, their only daughter, am expected to go join this guild in a faraway place called Treasure Town. Well, I'll have you know that I am quite terrible at exploring. I'm a strategist, not power-packed. Of course, my dad was, as he says, "a total sissy" before he joined this guild. Well, whatever. I'll show everyone that I'm _not _my parents, and that I'm _not _good at exploring at all.

I ride on one of my parents' team members to Treasure Town. His name is Atmos; he's a Rayquaza. Yeah…they've got almost every Legendary Pokémon on their team. I grew up with them. Seriously. Right now I'm grumbling to myself about how _everyone _is going to be asking me about my parents and how they want autographs…

"All right there, Squirrel?" booms Atmos, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah. I'm fine." So not fine.

"Squirrel, I know you. You really aren't looking forward to this, are you?"

"That obvious? Yeah, I do not want to do this. I'm a terrible explorer!" I groan.

"Give it a try. This is a chance to make some friends and _get _some exploring skills."

"…Whatever."

"Oh, we're here!" Sure enough, I can see a dingy town below us. There's a building shaped like a Wigglytuff head near it. I shake my head in disgust as I survey it. At least there's a beach nearby. I do enjoy the beach.

I dismount Atmos at the beach with a goodbye. There, I see two Pokémon waiting for me.

"Ah, you must be Squirrel! My, you look like your father. Except for the eyes. Those are your mother's," says the Pokémon that looks like a bird.

_Yeah, yeah, whatever with the Harry Potter quotes_, I almost say, but I swallow my words and shake hands…well, my paw and his wing.

"My name is Chatot. I'm the head of intelligence and second-in-command of the guild," says the bird rather proudly.

"And I'm Guildmaster Wigglytuff! It's so nice to finally meet you!" sings the other Pokémon. He gives me a hug. Like I don't know who he is. My parents have told me _exactly _what Wigglytuff looks like and acts like. Chatot, too. "Your time at the guild is going to be so much fun!"

My time? Great, that makes it sound even more like I'm going to prison. I force a smile and say, "I hope so!"

The two lead me to the guild, which is the giant Wigglytuff head. Great. We stop in front of it, where a grate is sitting. Mom and Dad actually haven't told me much about the guild, as they wanted me to experience it all for myself.

"Well, here it is!" says Chatot. "Now, go ahead."

I stare blankly at him.

"Stand on the grate."

When I do, a voice yells at me! "Pokémon detected! Pokémon detected!"

"AAAGH!" I shriek, jumping off and running into some bushes near the grate.

"Whose footprint? Whose footprint?" another voice asks.

"…Well, I don't know," says the first voice.

"WHAT? Sentry Dugtrio, your job is to…"

"She jumped off before I could detect her footprint. But by the sound of her yell, I'm fairly certain that it's a girl," replies Dugtrio coolly.

"HEY! GIRL! Get back on the GRATE!"

"Don't wanna," I mumble.

Chatot gives me an _are-you-kidding-me _look. "Don't you remember the sentry your parents told you about?"

"Never told me anything. Wanted me to experience it for myself."

"…So you know nothing about the guild?"

"All I know about is the Pokémon who were training. When Mom and Dad were apprentices," I reply, my voice still wavering from shock.

"Is she gonna get on or NOT? I need to know WHAT POKÉMON she is!"

Chatot sighs, annoyed. "The Pokémon is Luxio, Loudred. She's Thunder and Flame's daughter. She is going to be the newest apprentice."

"No LIE? That's so COOL!" says the voice. "I'll open the DOOR now. Sorry about the CONFUSION."

The doors to the building open and I grimace. Wigglytuff hops off while Chatot and I follow at a slower pace. "Yay."

"Supper is pretty soon. That's when we'll announce the news about you to everyone," says Chatot as we climb down the ladders. He doesn't look happy, and I can already tell I've gotten on his bad side.

"Okay. What should I do?" I've got to force myself to act happy, no matter how stupid this is.

"I've already taken care of your registration, so…I'll have someone show you around the guild." Chatot. He looks around and spots someone. "Ah. Bibarel! Over here!"

A large Pokémon lumbers over. "You called, yup yup?"

"Bibarel, meet Squirrel. She is our newest apprentice. I need you to show her around." Chatot nods once. "Well, I'll leave you to it~!" He leaves.

"Really? Well, it's very nice to meet you, yup yup. I'm one of the senior apprentices, and I've been around here for a pretty long time." I shake paws with him. "You know, missus, you look purdy familiar."

"Yeah...wait, was your name Bidoof once?"

"Why, yes siree! How'd you know that?" says Bibarel with a huge grin on his face. Guess I gotta get used to this guy…he's kind of happy all of the time, I bet. Oh joy. With my luck, everyone is like this.

"Well, my, um, parents…knew you…I'm Thunder and Flame's daughter…" I wince as Bibarel gasps.

"No kidding? Why, that's just amazing! I bet you're a great explorer, too!"

"No, I'm not. I'm positively terrible, and I'm just fine that way!" I snap. Then my eyes widen as I realize that that was totally rude. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have snapped…I just…" I sigh unhappily.

"Naw, I understand. It must be hard to have famous parents. I know what it's like to be bad at exploring…it sure took me a long time to get this far! Most of the others graduated a long time ago. I'm gettin' there, by golly, but it can be hard. But you'll love it here, I guarantee! Yup yup, I know I sure did!" Bibarel gives me a huge grin and I give a fake grin back. I don't really have the heart to tell this guy that's he's annoying me. "Now, let's see. Didja learn about the guild beforehand?"

"Nope. Mom and Dad wanted me to get the full experience like they did, good and bad." When will these Pokémon learn that?

"That's understandable. Let's get this tour started, then!" Bibarel takes me through both of the lower floors of the guild. I learn about both of the bulletin boards and about recruiting members to my team, though the Pokémon running the booth isn't around right now. He also shows me the bedrooms and Wigglytuff's room. As we approach the mess hall, a white Pokémon with a bell on its head emerges.

"Sorry to keep everyone waiting!" sings the Pokémon. "It's supper time!" She notices me. "Hello there, Bibarel! Who's this?"

"This is Squirrel. She's the guild's newest apprentice!" says Bibarel.

"Really? Yes, Chatot told me to make an extra dinner, so I assume he meant you. Well, it's great to meet you! I'm Chimecho. I'm in charge of supper and recruiting Pokémon." She surveys me for a moment and is about to say something when Chatot approaches us.

"I will be officially announcing this before supper. You'll get the details then," he says.

Chimecho nods and we all go into the room. Everyone becomes silent and stares at me as I enter. Ugh. Embarrassing.

"Everyone, wait for a moment," says Chatot. Yells of protest immediately pop up.

"What the heck?!"

"I want to eat, man!"

"Spit it out already!"

Chatot's head is clutched between his wings. I bet he's suffering from a horrible migraine right now. "Please! Control yourselves!" The yelling dies down. "I have an announcement. This is Squirrel." He gestures to me. "She is the daughter of Thunder and Flame, whom some of you remember apprenticing with." A collective gasp is heard as everyone's heads turn to me. I give a grimace to try and tell them I _don't _want to be here.

Chatot clears his throat and continues. "Now, I don't want anyone to annoy her by asking about her parents or for autographs while she is apprenticing here." Murmurs of, "Apprenticing?" and "Oh, another apprentice?" follow his speech. I sigh, anticipating the horrors that await me in my time here. "That is all. Squirrel, why don't you go find a place to sit?"

I find a place and sit down. When I do, Chatot resumes speaking. "Now…on your mark, get set…"

"CHOW!" cries the group. We all begin to dig in. Tonight's meal is roasted Bananas (Where the _heck _did they get those?!) with Oran Berry sauce. I've gotta admit, it's amazing. As I start to eat, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I look to my right and see a purple bat.

"Hey. Name's Golbat," he says. "I knew your parents. I was actually one of their enemies in Team Skull, until I broke away from them to join the guild. Name used to be Zubat," he add, noticing my puzzled expression.

"Oh. Nice to meet you, Golbat," I reply with a grin. Across from me, I see a purple Pokémon with a huge mouth. He notices me and smiles.

"HI, Squirrel. I'm Loudred; you've MET me before. I work with the SENTRY," he says.

"Right, I remember you. Hey, you knew my parents, too, right?"

"I sure DID. They did sentry duty, TOO. Of course, they were never GOOD at it…"

"Hey!" I protest. Loudred chuckles.

"Don't WORRY, I'm JOKING. They were actually OUTSTANDING."

After supper ends, everyone is sent to bed. I'm rooming with Chimecho and some other girls. I follow them into the room.

"Hi, Squirrel!" Chimecho is in the room, and so are two other girls. "We have a bed ready for you!"

"Thanks, Chimecho. Thanks…everyone else."

"Oh, you haven't officially met everyone yet!" gasps Chimecho. Wow, no duh. She floats over to a humanoid Pokémon with a while body and a white and green head. "This is Kirlia."

"Sup," says Kirlia simply.

"And this is Servine." Now she is floating next to a green, almost snake-like Pokémon.

"Hi, it's so nice to meet you!" chirps Servine.

"Hey, Kirlia, hey, Servine," I reply. I pad over to my bed.

Sighing, I realize how tired I am. I close my eyes and go to sleep. My last thought before I go to bed is, _I am going to kill my parents…_

* * *

**My, my. Squirrel is just a sassy little thing, isn't she? Oh, well. I have a good feeling about this series, a better feeling than I did about my story about Shaymin, so…yeah. Please review and tell me if you liked it so far!**


	2. I meet a kindred spirit

"UP AN' AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

"Aah!" I jerk out of bed and breathe fast. "What was that terrible noise?" I moan. I blink and notice the scowling figure of Loudred standing in the doorway. After noticing that everyone is awake, he leaves. I can hear him yelling into other rooms as well. "Urgh..." I groan. I can't think of anything. Um…oh, yeah…I think I was in a guild…Oh! Right! Shaking myself, I remember everything again.

"Ugh…" I hear another voice. It's Servine. "I'll never get used to that…"

"Our wonderful alarm clock…" adds Kirlia as Loudred walks past the doorway. He makes a face at her before he leaves.

"C'mon. Let's go to the morning address," sighs Chimecho. To me, she adds, "You'll learn it pretty soon. If you want, I'll go over it with you tonight."

"Okay. Thanks!"

We walk into the main room. Everyone else is still rubbing their eyes or shaking themselves. I take a spot next to a little blue Pokémon as they begin.

"ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK! TWO! RUN AWAY AND PAY! THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" Ugh, rhyming. How. Sappy. But effective. Very effective.

"Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work!" sings Chatot.

"HOORAY!" Everyone goes to do their daily jobs while I'm stuck without a clue what to do. I walk around until Chatot calls my name.

"Yep, that's how your parents were at first! Your job is simple: take jobs from the Outlaw Notice Board or the Job Bulletin Board and do them. Of course, you're a novice, so you should only take E or D rank jobs. Well? If that's all, then hop to it!" Chatot flaps away.

"Okay…" I climb up the ladder to go to the next floor. I am examining the Outlaw Notice Board for E or D rank jobs when the little blue Pokémon I was standing next to during the morning address and another older one approach me.

"Excuse me? You're Squirrel, right?" asks the older one timidly. I nod. "I'm Marill. This is my little brother, Azurill. You've probably heard this a lot, but…"

"You knew my parents? Yep, they told me a lot about you. You're apprenticing here now? Good for you! How are you doing in your training?" Boy, Mom and Dad talked about these little guys! They always told me about the whole Drowzee incident, along with the Water Float incident, and the incident about Azurill's dreams. Oh, let me tell you, I was sick, sick, _sick _of hearing about these guys. But I can't tell them that. They seem so sweet, anyway. "How is your mother, Mom mentioned she was sick…"

"Oh, she's doing a lot better," says Azurill happily. "And we're doing good in our training! We're getting stronger. Not much stronger, but it's lots better."

"Good," I reply in a friendly tone.

"We gotta get to work," says Marill, "but we should all hang out sometime. It would be so fun!"

"Yep. See you around!" I call as they leave. I return my attention to the bulletin board. I pinpoint a good job and am about to grab it when—

"Stand clear, everyone! I'm updating the Outlaw Board!" It's Servine's voice. I jump back in shock (how many things are going to make me jump out of my skin here?!) as the panel flips forward. I watch for a moment and I start to walk away when the panel flips again. This time, all new jobs are posted on the board.

"Guess nobody explained that to you," a voice says. I look around only to see three heads pop up in front of me. It's Dugtrio. "Servine's job is to update the panels. The jobs get old and get done, so the panels need to get updated. That was my dad's job before he retired. I soon evolved into Dugtrio, but I used to be called Diglett."

"Yup, my parents knew you," I sigh.

"Correct," replies Dugtrio. He blushes slightly. "I guess I'd better stop shirking my work. See you!" He goes back into the ground.

"Man. Everyone knows my parents." Shaking my head, I return to the Outlaw Notice Board. I pick out a few jobs to do and I go outside to explore before I go rescue other Pokémon. I see a hole in the ground with some stairs outside of Treasure Town. Interesting. The sign says, "Spinda's Café." I go in.

"Why, hello!" A Pokémon wobbles over to me. "I'm Spinda. This is my Café! Please, sit down and enjoy some relaxing drinks, or you can enjoy some recycling over at the other side with Wynaut and Wobbufet. Whatever you choose, you will enjoy!" He bows and spins back over to his spot. Though I'm officially creeped out, I decide that it wouldn't hurt to walk in. I get an Oran Berry Shake and then I realize that there aren't any tables available…

"Eh…" I moan as I look around.

"Hey!" a voice calls to me. "You can sit here!" It's a Pokémon that looks like a sunflower. I sit down across from her at her table. "I'm Sunflora," she chirps. "Are you new here? Because I haven't seen you before."

"Yup, I'm new. Let me guess…you trained at the guild?" She nods with a bright grin. "Thought so. I guess you knew two Pokémon named Thunder and Flame… I'm their daughter, and I'm training now…"

"Eeek! I remember them! They were sooo cute when they first came, and now, they're all grown up with a daughter?! Eeeeee! Are they here?" Sunflora is sooo perky. It's a bit annoying.

"No…sorry."

"Oh well! And you're apprenticing! How fun!" She sighs sadly. "I miss the guild….I graduated a long time ago. But I'm back in Treasure Town! I can't wait to see everyone again! Oh, by the way…is Loudred there? Because he graduated about the same time as I did. I wonder where he is now…"

"He's working at the guild. I actually thought he was still an apprentice…" Wow. Weird.

"Huh! I wonder why he's still there…" Sunflora gets up. "I need to solve this mystery. I'll see you later, Squirrel!" She hops off.

"Ugh, thank goodness," I sigh to myself. She was so bright and colorful, I couldn't stand it!

"Hey, Squirrel," says a voice. I turn around to see Golbat. "That was Sunflora, right?"

"Yeah. She's nice…"

"Too perky?"

"Yes!" I breathe. "It was exhausting! You can sit down."

"Kay. Lemme get a drink first." He gets an Oran Berry Shake, just like me!

"Hey!" I laugh. "That's what I've got, too."

"For real? That's cool," replies Golbat. He sits down in the chair I pulled up.

We chat about random things for a while. It turns out he's as much of a rebel as I am, except about the whole exploring thing. "Hey, Golbat, I have a question. Why did you sign up to be a part of the guild? Why did you quit that Team Skull?" I would _sooo _join Team Skull. It sounds kind of awesome.

"Well, you see. I was the lowest member. I was getting tired of being treated like dirt, so I was like, 'See ya!' I could have joined another team, true, but I decided to be my own Pokémon. No more team leaders unless it's me. So this was the only place to train. I figured that it wouldn't be too much torture. And now that I'm here, I've gotta say it's kinda grown on me. 'Course, all of the happy-go-lucky stuff is wasted on me; I still live for robbing those Kecleon Shops." Golbat eyes me as he sips his drink. "What about you, Miss Famous Parents? How'd you get stuck here?"

"You said it: my famous parents," I groan as I put a paw on my forehead. "They wanted me to be an explorer against my will." I grin and get my signature defiant glint in my eye. "So I'm setting out to become the _worst _explorer this guild has ever known."

"Nice!" cackled Golbat, high fiving me with his wing.

"Thank you," I reply. "I try, man. I try."

"Listen, I gotta go," sighs Golbat. "Need to go do those jobs I took off the board. And so do you…sorta. But we _gotta _hang out some more, 'kay?"

"You know it!" I reply with a grin. He leaves. I finish my shake and check my job list. "Okay. So it's Wailmer in the Beach Cave with an Oran Berry?" Hah. Clue.

I walk through the first floor of the cave, not bothering to climb the stairs. Eventually I faint from hunger. Chatot looks disapprovingly at me when he sees that I failed, but he dismisses it. Probably because it's my first day. Golbat sneaks a look at me as he returns and winks with a grin that I return.

Golbat and I chat a bit more during supper, and then it's off to bed.

"Sooo? How was your first mission?" giggles Servine.

"Stupid," I reply.

"Stupid how?" gasps Servine. "Did…did you fail?"

"Yes." Yeah, but that's not why it was stupid. It's stupid because…well, you guys already know.

"Ooh! I'm so sorry to hear that!" says Servine. "You'll do better next time. I'm sure of it."

"Okay." Not on your life.

After Servine and Chimecho fall asleep, I am lying awake in bed when Kirlia's voice startles me. "You're doing it on purpose." It's not a question. "It's okay. They sleep like rocks."

"Oh. Well, I don't know what you're…"

"Save it. I know because I started failing on purpose when I first got here."

"…Fine. You're right, I am failing on purpose. I didn't ask for my parents to dump me here," I snort. "Why were you failing on purpose?"

"…I don't want to talk about it."

"Then why did you bring it up?!" I am somehow able to transform this into a whisper.

"I wanted you to know that I know. And you're making a mistake." Kirlia yawns. "That's all I'm saying." Then, I can hear quiet snoring coming from her bed.

"Hey!" I whisper. "What do you mean, I'm making a mistake?"

No answer. Jerk.

"Fine, whatever." I turn over and eventually fall asleep.

* * *

**Just so you know, this little mystery **_**will **_**be cleared up. Someday. Be sure to review, if you want! :D**


	3. I go to Sharpedo Bluff and spy on peeps

"UP AN' AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

I jerk out of bed. "Uhh…" I moan, clutching my ears.

"Morning, everyone…" groans Servine.

"Morning…"

* * *

"AND…THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!" we all chant.

"Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work~!" sings Chatot.

"HOORAY!" Everyone goes off to do their usual work. Unsure of what to do, I just go. I guess I'm supposed to do my jobs. Whatever.

Before I go to Beach Cave again, I go to Treasure Town to put up my money. Wait a second…I lost half of my money yesterday! Ugh! What the heck?! And some of my items…ugh…Okay. Annoyed, I store all of my money in the Duskull Bank and put all of my items in the Kangaskhan storage. Satisfied, I leave. As I pass Spinda's Café, I hear a voice call my name. It's Bibarel.

"Howdy, Squirrel!" he calls. Oh, great.

"Hey," I reply, padding up to him.

"How's life at the guild so far?" Shut up.

I give a big fake grin. "Really fun." _Sooo _not fun.

"Well, golly, I'm sure glad to hear that," says Bibarel, satisfied. He smiles at me and leaves.

As I watch him leave, my stomach churns from lying to him. I don't know why…I've lied to others before…

Shaking myself, I proceed to go to the Beach Cave and I fail again. It's hilarious!

But this time, Chatot pulls me aside.

"Are you okay? You've not done one mission correctly yet…"

"I'm fine."

"You're positive? I would expect Thunder and Flame's daughter to do better…"

"I understand." That my amazing parents could _never _have given birth to such a failure as me. I get it, you stupid bird.

"Okay. But if you continue doing poorly, then I will have to have you do more menial tasks," he explains. "You wouldn't want to be demoted."

Gulp. I guess I should do _some _jobs right. I do _not _want to do chores for this guy. But only the really easy ones. I'm not working really hard for this guy. Blah. "You're right, I don't. I'll try to do better."

It's still a while before supper's ready, so I look for a place to hang out. But I'm disappointed. What is _with _this town?! There is _nowhere _to hang out but Spinda's Café or the Guild! I guess I'll just look for a place to be alone and vent my fury. The beach? Nah. I remember Mom and Dad saying something about a place where they lived, a place called Sharpedo Bluff. Sounds interesting. I walk through town, but eventually come to a dead end. It's grassy and pretty, though. I might as well hang here. I go over to a big pile of leaves and lay down. But instead—"OOF!"—I fall through onto some stairs…owie…

I descend them to find a little room. It looks like it hasn't been touched in years. Oh! This must be where Mom and Dad roomed! I walk over to the edge and grin. I can totally see forever up here! And if I look way to the left, I can see the beach! Cool. And I see a few Pokémon there…Hmm…

I can make out two Pokémon are standing on the beach. I can't really tell what they are, but I do know that they're standing on two legs each. One is talking and the other is standing there, I can only see their back. Then–WHOA –the one whose back I can see suddenly runs forward and kisses the other one! Ooo, juicy! I try and lean forward to see what Pokémon they are when I hear a voice.

"Spying's wrong, you know." I whip around and see that it's just Dugtrio.

"Oh. Hi, Dugtrio. And I'm not spying, I'm…watching the ocean."

"Yeah, right," scoffs Dugtrio.

"I am!" I argue as I return my gaze to the kissing Pokémon (I mean the ocean). Wait, wait, wait! That's Sunflora and Loudred out there! SQUEAL! HOW ADORABLE! Then I blush when I realize I said that out loud. It's a wonder that Sunflora and Loudred didn't hear me…oh, wait, they did.

"Ha! I knew you were spying," says a smug Dugtrio. I turn even redder as I quickly and quietly slip away from view.

"Do you think they know it was me?" I whisper.

"No…not yet, anyway." Dugtrio raises all six of his eyebrows.

"You…You wouldn't!" I gasp.

"I dunno…I might."

"Please don't! Please!" I beg as I get on my stomach and clasp my paws together in front of him. "I'm begging!"

"…Okay. I won't tell. But you owe me." Dugtrio winks (well, his front head does), goes underground, and leaves.

I take a moment to digest what all happened and realize something. Was Dugtrio…_flirting_ with me? Um. Eeewwkaaay...

Oh! It's almost dinner time! I'd better go!

* * *

At dinner, I notice that Loudred is happy. Like, in a creepy way. I give him an innocent, questioning look and he gives me a particularly nasty look back. Ouch. I roll my eyes and return my gaze to my food. Apples garnished with Pecha, Chesto, Cheri, Aguav, and Raust Berries. Basic but amazing, as usual. Yum!

After dinner, Golbat pulls me aside. "Okay," he says quietly, "_what _were those looks about? With Loudred?"

I giggle. "You'll never believe what I saw…" I whisper in his ear what happened, starting with wanting to find a place to hang and ending with Dugtrio.

"Whoa. That's…whoa. First of all, _finally! _Everyone knows he has the hots for her. Second, Dugtrio was being an idiot." Huh. Did his tone suddenly turn cold at the part about Dugtrio? Probably my imagination.

"Hey, Squirrel!" I hear Chimecho call.

"Gotta go. Later!" I whisper. I pad away.

"Hi, Squirrel!" says Chimecho.

"What's up?"

"I need you for a moment…" she murmurs, looking around nervously and leading me into the girls' room. Kirlia and Servine are sound asleep. "Okay. We'll be safe here." She clears her throat. "I have a problem. I come from a very poor family, and I came here to try and support them….But I never have the chance to go home. I always have to send someone to bring food to them. I got a real beating in my job today, and I…" Her eyes fill up with tears. "…I can't go! I need you to go for me. Can you do it? Please? Kirlia and Servine can't go, they're not strong enough. But you…you can! Please?"

Um…I can't really explore well, but how can I say no? She obviously trusts me, and her poor family is starving! "…I'll do it." But you owe me. But I'm not gonna say that out loud.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" cries Chimecho in a whisper, giving me a hug. "Now, my sister, Chingling, is going to be waiting in Labyrinth Cave on B10. You have to deliver 3 Perfect Apples to her. But you have to finish this _tonight_, or she won't be there, so...you don't have time to go to any other dungeon." I realize what she's saying and I recoil.

"You're saying…I have to _steal _from the guild?"

* * *

**Whoa! Didja see that coming? Little cliffhanger there, yep. Is Squirrel gonna do it? Is she gonna get away with it? These questions and more will be answered soon.**

**Hey, by the way, look down. And a little to the right…There! See that little gizmo? That, my friend, is called a review button. I'd sure appreciate if you clicked on it and typed your opinion. Good or bad, it don't matter. I wouldn't know 'less you told me! :3**


	4. I steal from the guild and eat Apples

"I'm afraid that's exactly what I'm saying. You need to sneak past Chatot and snatch three Perfect Apples from the storage. Even I'm not allowed in there at night. But you're young and fast. You can do it. I'll even clean it up in the morning before Chatot can see." Chimecho's eyes are wide and begging.

"Fine. But you _sooo_ owe me." I really do say the last part this time.

"Deal." We shake hands **(A/N Yes Chimecho really does have them)**,say a prayer, and I slowly walk off.

Okay. Right now, I just need to get past Chatot. He's asleep, but I'm sure he sleeps lightly. So, I tiptoe past him and into the kitchen. I run around, looking for Perfect Apples. I know that they are larger and smoother and rounder than other Apples, so I take one out of my Treasure Bag to compare. Eventually, I find the Perfect Apples. I take three exceptionally large ones out and stuff them into my Treasure Bag along with the first one. I sneak back out and climb up the stairs. I am completely and utterly quiet until I exit the guild. Finally I make a noise. "Phew!" I gasp. "That was intense. Now for Labyrinth Cave."

* * *

The cave is pretty easy to get through, really. I guess it's like Beach Cave. I almost forget to look for Chingling, but I remember just in time. I notice a little yellow Pokémon that is different from the others.

"Hi!" I say kindly. She notices me and squeaks in terror.

"Please don't eat me!" she cries.

"No, I'm not gonna eat you. Are you Chingling?"

"Y-yes…" she whispers. "Did my big sister send you?"

"Yes, she did. Here are your Perfect Apples."

"Oh, thank you so much!" she gasps. She takes them with a huge smile on her face.

"Here you go," I say kindly, putting a paw on my rescue badge. A light shines and she warps away to wherever she came from. I do as well, popping up in front of the guild. I sneak back down, but right as I am in front of the hallway, one of the sleepers makes a particularly loud snore that wakes up Chatot.

"Who's there?!" he gasps. Then, he notices me. "Squirrel, what are you doing out of bed?"

I am a pretty good liar, so I decide to tell him a little fib. "I had to, well…y'know…"

"Ah. I see. Carry on, then…" With that, he closes his eyes again. I go back into our rooms where Chimecho is looking at me.

"Did you do it?" she asks quietly.

"Yep. It's all good." I grin at her and she smiles.

"Excellent…" Okay. That was not a "yay" excellent. That was a "ha, ha, you've fallen into my trap" excellent.

"Um, why are you using that tone?" I ask nervously. She doesn't reply. She simply lays down and goes to sleep. Shaking my head, I lie down and do the same.

* * *

"UP AN' AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

I wake up with a pounding headache. Lack of sleep. "Oogie, my head…"

"Ugh…" groans Kirlia. We all stretch and yawn and go to the morning address.

* * *

"AND…THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

"Okay, Pokémon! Time to get to work!" sings Chatot.

"HOORAY!"

I begin to walk over to "do my work" but I am called over by Chatot. He looks pretty mad. "What is it, Chatot?"

"You will not stop, will you?!" shrieks Chatot. "First you fail your work, and now you're stealing food from the guild?! Who do you think you are, young lady?!"

I feign an innocent look. "But I never stole anything, Chatot!"

"Oh, you didn't? So you just _happened _to be going to the bathroom for the entire first half of the night, and the three remaining Perfect Apples in stock just _happened _to disappear during that time, and you had absolutely nothing to do with it! No, no, no, Miss Squirrel, I know the whole story! First, you stole our Perfect Apples."

Shoot. He got me! I can't hide it. I close my eyes in defeat and nod.

"Next, you went to Labyrinth Cave. You defied orders and left the guild during the night."

I nod again.

"You went to the tenth floor, correct?"

Yet another nod comes from me.

"And there, you gorged yourself on those Perfect Apples!"

My eyes shoot open. "No, sir, I didn't! I gave them to—"

"Spare me your lies. I know the whole story from an anonymous source. Now, as punishment, you need to go to Apple Woods to find some Perfect Apples. _Today. _If you don't then the Guildmaster—the Guildmaster will—" He cuts off, puts his wings on his ears, and shudders. "—Yes. That's what will happen. And if I have to face that, then you'll be going without dinner tonight."

"But Chatot—"

"_No buts!_" He whips around and leaves. I'm surprised that each step isn't sizzling the grass beneath him.

"Ugh!" I groan. I stomp up the ladder. I may not want to try hard, but I have to have dinner! It's too delicious to lose!

As I trudge through Treasure Town, I pass by Bibarel. "Why, golly! Whatever is the matter, Squirrel?"

"Chatot's making me get Perfect Apples."

"Ooh, I've never liked that chore. But say! Why don't I come with you, by golly?" Huh. I guess I could use some company. I tell him this and he gives me a big grin. "Well, thanks! Yup yup, it'll be much more fun for ya with company. I could even give you some tips, yup yup."

"Okay." We both leave for Apple Woods. It's as easy as the other caves. I find it kind of fun, with Bibarel there…he's fun to talk to. When we get to the end, I see a huge tree with large Apples hanging off of it. I know that they are Perfect Apples.

"Now, here's how you get those Apples down…" begins Bibarel, but I'm already climbing it and snatching the Perfect Apples. "Well, golly, what do you need me for?"

"To catch the Perfect Apples, silly." With that, I drop one on his head.

"Ooh…you're in for it now, Squirrel!" Bibarel tries to climb the tree, but he can't.

"You're slow. I think I may need to have a little snack before I can get down…" I sigh playfully. I'm now sitting catlike on a branch.

"Remember your dinner, Squirrel!" calls Bibarel.

"Oh, not all of them. Just one big, delicious, juicy Perfect Apple…" I dangle one from the branch, tempting him.

"Ooh…that does look good…" Bibarel sighs. Then he grins. "By golly, nobody would mind if we shared one, you know."

"Hmm. Sounds like a plan. But first, you need to catch all of these. And with your hands, not your face this time," I tease, dropping the Perfect Apples. He somehow catches them all. I snatch one more and slide down gracefully. "Here you are. I'll use Thunder Fang to roast it…what?" Bibarel is looking at me like I'm crazy. "Come on, all Shinx evolutions know that Apples split apart when you use Thunder Fang. Duh."

"Well, excuse me, Miss Smarty, but I'm not a Shinx evolution," Bibarel reminds me.

"…Blah." I use Thunder Fang and the Perfect Apple splits in two. I hand him the part I didn't bite into. "You're welcome."

"Thank you!" We both eat our parts of the Perfect Apple. Bibarel burps and blushes. "Well, golly, excuse me."

"No prob. Cover your ears for a sec." He does and I burp _really _loud.

"Whoa! That was…" Bibarel gasps.

"Loud?" I offer.

"Very well done." We both laugh and pick up the rest of the Perfect Apples. While we are going back, he asks me a question. "You know, you explored the dungeon pretty well. You aren't as bad at exploring as you say."

I flush, scared he'll discover my lie. "Well…I…"

"Are you failing on purpose?"

"Uh…"

"Huh. You are. Well, I don't understand that, yup yup, but I suppose you have your reasons…" Well, at least he isn't mad. When we get back to the guild, he whispers, "Pretend I didn't come, by golly, we'll get in trouble."

"Got it." I go to Chatot and show him the Perfect Apples.

"My, my, that _is _impressive. Why, even your parents didn't bring back Perfect Apples when I asked them," says Chatot happily. "Go bring that to Chimecho, she's in the kitchen." Two different things just occurred to me! First of all, I remember that someone ratted me out, and added a total lie at the end! Maybe Chimecho set me up…I'll ask her about that…but the second thing is that I totally did something that stumped my parents! Sure, they had that Team Skull in the way…but still, I beat them. Maybe I should focus on doing _better _than my parents…but that might take a lot of work…whatever. I'm in the mess hall now.

"Oh, hey. How was your trip to Apple Woods?" It's Kirlia who says this, actually. All three of the other girls are watching me with grins.

"How did you…?" I gasp.

"One word," says Servine.

"Initiation!" all three of them cry.

"Initiation?!" I huff. "Are you saying that that _wasn't _your sister in Labyrinth Cave?!"

"Oh, that was my sister. But she sure didn't need any food. She's well fed, and so is my family."

"And remember that loud snore?" giggles Servine. "That was no accident! I'm good at imitating noises, and I stayed awake the whole time."

"And I ratted you out. Sorry," says Kirlia. "The reason that this was your initiation is that _I _figured out that you were failing on purpose. No Luxio I know gets defeated in Beach Cave on B1 unless she's fooling someone. So, everyone pretended to be asleep when I asked you that question." Oh, yeah!

* * *

_I am lying awake in bed when Kirlia's voice startles me. "You're doing it on purpose." It's not a question. "It's okay. They sleep like rocks."_

"_Oh. Well, I don't know what you're…"_

"_Save it. I know because I started failing on purpose when I first got here."_

"…_Fine. You're right, I am failing on purpose. I didn't ask for my parents to dump me here," I snort. "Why were you failing on purpose?"_

"…_I don't want to talk about it."_

"_Then why did you bring it up?!" I am somehow able to transform this into a whisper._

"_I wanted you to know that I know. And you're making a mistake." Kirlia yawns. "That's all I'm saying." Then, I can hear quiet snoring coming from her bed._

* * *

Kirlia's voice brings me back to reality. "I really was warning you that we might do something. But I knew you weren't going to listen, so I went with Plan B, using that to prank you."

"So, you didn't really fail on purpose when you got here, huh?" I ask jokingly.

"…I did." She blinks a few times, and walks out, pushing me out of the way.

"Don't mind her, she's just a little touchy about…The Incident." Servine murmurs. "Let's forget it."

"Okay. Here are your Perfect Apples." I give Chimecho the fruit and go after Kirlia. I want to hear about this incident!

* * *

**Me: Okay, um…thanks for reading…be sure to review, y'know…if you want…you don't have to…**

**Squirrel: Oh, for crying out loud. Be assertive, you idiot! *Looks at reader* Hey, you! Yeah, I'm talking to you! You'd better review or I'll—**

**Me: Squirrel, please! *Holds up Pokéball***

**Squirrel: Grrr…You got lucky, punks! *Goes into Pokéball***

**Me: Sorry about that!** **I'm going to be having a poll pretty soon. You may have noticed that Squirrel has been hanging out with a couple of guys. And I need you guys to decide which romance should happen. And I know some of them probably seem…outlandish. Well, it's Pokémon, so whatever.**

**Squirrel: *inside Pokéball* Hey, you should pick—**

**Me: Shush! So, yeah, check out my profile to vote for your favorite dude and scenario that I listed! See ya!**


	5. I go exploring and pwn some idiots

I run after Kirlia. "Can you please tell me about The Incident? I really want to know…"

Kirlia turns her head towards me. I'm shocked at how sad she looks.

"I really don't want to talk about it."

Before I can decide what to do, I hear myself saying, "If you talk about it, maybe you won't be as sad."

Kirlia looks at me for a while, and sighs. "You win. But I don't want to talk our here...let's go into the room…" Once in the room, she begins to talk. "When I first came here, I failed on purpose. That's because I, too, was forced to come by my parents. But they were Gardevoir from Team Charm and Gallade from Team Raider! I couldn't worm my way out of it. Even worse, my boyfriend was back at home, and we were separated. He came every day and told me how to get kicked out so we could be together again. Eventually he stopped coming; I figured he thought I was going to get to go home soon. I was getting close to being sent home when I got wind of the fact that he was engaged. I was furious. From then on, I vowed to do my best and show him what he's missing!" She pumps her fist with a grin. "Wow, you were right! Thanks!"

"No prob!" I laugh. "Boys are dumb, we don't need them."

"Yeah," says Kirlia, high-fiving me. She's probably the happiest I've seen her. "We can take a break from guys."

"Like, from boyfriends, or…" I still want to hang out with my guy friends…

"All guys!" Kirlia laughs at my expression. "No, I know you like hanging out with guys. It's cool. But why don't we explore together tomorrow, boy free?" Her expression turns serious. "And actually try. It's pretty fun."

"Wha…fine," I groan. I hear Chimecho's bell ringing. "Sounds like suppertime!"

"Yum! Let's go!" cries Kirlia. "Last one there's a Doom Seed!"

"Doom Seed?" What an odd phase. But I beat her anyway.

Right when I sit down, Loudred and Golbat start guffawing.

"What?" I snap.

"How was your initiation?!" laughs Golbat.

"Wha—How did—"

"EVERYONE knows about initiation, Squirrel! The girls have made it FAMOUS, and they always tell EVERYONE about it. Everyone but Chatot, of course," he adds in a whisper so Chatot won't hear. Huh. I didn't know Loudred could whisper. Weird.

"Well, initiation was stupid," I groan, burying my face in my paws.

"Aw, cheer up," says Golbat, patting me on the back. "Everyone here has gone through an initiation."

"Not my parents," I mutter.

"Well, true, but this started after they left," says Golbat.

"I can see that," I say with a frown at him before I return my face to my paws. Eventually, the smell of the yummy food makes me whip my head up. Everyone's almost done, so I have to scarf n' barf. Except for the barf part.

I go to bed, wanting to get to sleep early. I'm kind of excited for my excursion with Kirlia, though I'm going to have to actually—ulp!—_try_. Mega barf. Kirlia is already in the room, and she smiles at me. I give her a grin right back. Huh. Kirlia is actually pretty cool. I hop into my bed, close my eyes, and try to go to sleep. It's hard, like on holidays, but I eventually get to sleep…

"UP AN' AT 'EM! IT'S MORNING!"

I jerk up and massage my ears. "Ow."

"Urrgh…" moan the others.

"AND…THREE! SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

Chatot flaps his wings as usual. "Okay, Pokémon~! Time to get to work~!"

"HOORAY!"

Kirlia walks up to me. "Ready?"

"You bet!" I reply with a grin. We nod at each other and leave.

We decide to explore a toughie called Brine Cave. We had heard of some bandits that lived there, but everyone knows that they flee when they see explorers. And all because of—you guessed it—my parents. Whoop. Tee. Doo. Eh, well, at least I can have some girl time. After a while, we finally arrive at the front of the cave. Before going in, we devise a plan.

"Okay, this cave is going to require plenty of Oran Berries. And Reviver Seeds are a must," lists Kirlia. "Apples and Gummis would be nice to have, and I'd want a few Orbs in case we run into a Monster House."

It takes me a few minutes to process the entire thing. When I finally get it, I begin to rummage through my storage at the Kangaskhan Rock to look for some of those items.

"Squirrel, hurry up," says Kirlia impatiently. "I'm itching to get exploring!"

"Yeah, yeah…" I get some items and stuff them into my bag. "So, who's going to be the leader?"

"Hmm…I'll be the leader. But that's no excuse for you to slack off, got it, Squirrel?" says Kirlia with authority.

"Yes, Mom." She rolls her eyes and we begin our trek through the dungeon.

We talk about all kinds of girly things for a while that I never would have said to anyone else. Kirlia easily defeats the enemies that attack us and I haven't even battled yet. It's a little boring sometimes…and I almost want to battle myself. I'm not even sure how good I even am at battling…No, no. What am I saying? I. Hate. Exploring.

…Right?

As we descend into the dungeon, Kirlia gives me an odd look. "You're keeping up pretty well for someone who can't explore."

"This dungeon isn't as hard as I thought it would be ," I admit. "I'm doing better than I thought I would."

"See?" I shoot her a fuming look to match her smug one.

"I haven't battled yet, and I just know I'm—"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just go to the end of the cave," Kirlia yawns, walking past me deeper into the cave. I trot after her.

"We're here." I grin, looking around. "Nice, huh?"

"Stay alert," warns Kirlia. "Those bandits could be anywhere…"

"Yeah…" I look about with my ears folded down. I pad somewhere else. Suddenly, Kirlia freezes.

"Squirrel…! Above you…!"

"Above…?" I look up to see a flash of brown and gray, and I feel myself shoved away. Opening my eyes, I see three Pokémon towering over me. And behind them, Kirlia in a crumpled heap on the ground. "KIRLIA!"

"Hehehe," snickers one of the Pokémon. "How many Pokémon are going to _do _that?"

"I dunno, but it's pretty stupid of them. Trying to be the hero—_ha!_" cackles another.

"Yeah. You, little girl," says the third one, who is in the middle, "do you know who we are?"

"Bandits," I squeak.

"Not just _any _bandits…I am Kabutops!" announces the middle one.

"And the Omastar Brothers!" cry the other two simultaneously.

"I don't care _who _you jokers are," I growl, "but you're going down!" Then I realize what I just did: I just challenged them. To a _battle._ I'm toast.

"If you insist," sneers Kabutops.

He jabs at me with one of his ugly claws, but I dodge it and dash into him, electricity crackling throughout my body. Then something clicks—_Spark Attack. I just used Spark Attack. _Then, shoving all hypocritical thoughts aside, I crouch down in battle stance, ready.

One of the Omastar hits me with a Waterfall, but I recover quickly and use Spark on him. He howls, and I grin with satisfaction. But it distracts me and I feel a Water Pulse hit me on the side. I groan and feel my strength getting weaker by the minute.

I pull an Oran Berry out of the Treasure bag and, stuffing it into my mouth, use Spark once again. The Omastar topples to the ground and faints. Not letting myself get distracted this time, I whip around and catch Kabutops by surprise by using Bite. At least, I think so. He cringes and I use Spark again on the Omastar I haven't attacked yet. This one, after recovering, sprays me with a Mud Shot. I feel myself thrown backwards, closing my eyes in defeat…all hope is lost…

Suddenly, my mouth opens involuntarily as something flies into it. Oh. Right. Reviver Seeds. Forgot about those, yeah. Phew! I jump up, revitalized. "Ready for some more, punks?" I snarl.

"But…how?" says the Omastar, gaping.

"Reviver Seeds, _helloo_?" I sing, dangling my Treasure Bag in front of him. Tossing it back I shout, "Eat THIS!" I slam into him and Bite him, only it's electric. Ah. Thunder Fang. How do I even _know _these…? Hmm. Maybe from Mom and Dad. Yes, most certainly. ANYWAY! He crumples to the ground like the pathetic loser he is.

"You may have defeated them, but Kabutops can never be defeated!" roars Kabutops, slashing at me with his claws. I counter it with a Spark.

"Let's just see about that," I hiss. I use one more Thunder Fang and he topples to the ground. The trio pushes themselves up and stalks away.

"Kirlia!" I cry, rushing to her side. I try shoving her, punching her, and forcing Reviver Seeds into her mouth, but nothing is working.

"Reviver Seeds won't work." I whirl around to see two Pokémon, one green and one gray, facing me.

"Who are you?!" I demand, unsheathing my claws.

"Dusclops. This is Treecko," says the gray one. His smile is replaced with a frown as he looks at Treecko, who is looking at the ground with a disappointed expression.

"Erm. You okay…Treecko?" I ask uncertainly.

"What? Fine," he says shortly. "Now, that Reviver Seed isn't going to work on her; she's too badly damaged. You need to get her somewhere safe; she's in critical condition."

"Critical…" I say faintly. I shake myself and nod. "Got it. I was going to take her home anyway."

"Where do you live?" asked Dusclops. "We can help you."

"Oh—thanks. I live in Wigglytuff's Guild."

"No kidding! Us too. We started today, that's why you didn't see us," laughs Dusclops.

"How funny!" Our lighthearted conversation lasts while we bring Kirlia's unconscious body to the guild. It helps ease my mind, though I'm still extremely worried about her.

_Kirlia…_I think while we approach the guild. _You're hurt because of me…You're my first real friend…I hope you make it through._

**I'M SOOOOO SORRY! I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON FOR NOT UPDATING!**

**With school and everything, I haven't been able to update. I know, I know…not a good excuse…**

**But! I am most certainly alive! So, yeah.**

**I bet you guys **_**sooo **_**know who our new friends are. Hee hee! Once everyone is caught up, I'll explain it. So if you're all, "What the heck?" then just wait for a little while longer!**

**Oh! I'm gonna add a chappie to one of my fics pretty soon! So keep them eyes peeled!**

**PAY FOR UR SHIPPINGZ! PEACE OUT!**


	6. I have a talk (Dusclops' POV has cameo!)

**Oh, wow, it's been forever…I'm sorry! School is…hard.**

**I changed the poll; it'll be Bibarel vs Golbat now. If I don't get any more votes, I'll just pick the one I like more. And by the way, any extra oneshots for the other guys will be noncanon to mah story and most likely not written until after it has been completed. Whoop whoop!**

**Btw, I know this is a bit of a fast friendship, but it is not, and never will be, yuri. Okay? Just wanted to make that clear.**

**This chappie might be a little sad, but probably not too ba. I'm not very experienced in the "sad" writing. But just be warned. Without further ado…! Here it is…! Ta-dah! Chapter 6!**

* * *

When we arrive at the Guild, we are met with a shocked Bibarel. "What happened here?"

"She's hurt," I say quietly. "Bandits. Brine Cave."

"Brine Cave? Oh, golly, I'd better get the Guildmaster! He'll want to hear this."

* * *

A few minutes later, we're dragging Kirlia's limp form into the Wigglytuff's room. He isn't smiling.

"Tell me everything."

I explain what happened to her, all the way up to totally owning those bandits. I feel a glow of pride when I tell them about it, but it quickly fades with my next sentence. "She's gonna be okay, right?" I ask nervously.

"Well, I believe so, but if the wounds are serious enough, her parents will need to be informed. She may have to leave the Guild," says Wigglytuff gently. Noticing my face, he tells Bibarel, Treecko, and Dusclops to leave us alone.

No. NO! She's the one person in this deathtrap that actually _understands _me! I can't be left to be BFF's with the girly-girls who live here!...No offense to them. They're nice and all, but SERIOUSLY! And…and she's hurt because of me. ME. "She..she will?" I ask, dumbfounded. "No, that can't be…she's gotta be able to stay! You won't make her leave! You won't, will you?" I feel tear prick my eyes. What, I've only known her for a few days, why is it making me _cry?! _

"We'll have to see. I understand what it's like, by the way…to almost lose a friend. In that exact situation," says Wigglytuff.

"What?" I sniff.

"I was exploring Brine Cave with a friend…he sacrificed himself to save me. He almost died. I was so scared, and I felt even worse because I knew that he'd done it for me. I felt like it was my fault. But he made it. Now, he may seem annoying and bossy to everyone, yes, I know you feel that way about him too, but he is…my invaluable partner. My best friend." It takes a moment for the cogs in my grief-dulled brain to work.

"You mean…Chatot?"

"Mm-hmm~!"

I sniff. "Mom and Dad never told me about that."

"They sure left out a lotta things, then. Now, the point of the story is: Kirlia knew what she was doing, and she hurt herself to protect you. It doesn't mean that it's your fault, and it doesn't mean you should beat yourself up for it. Kirlia wouldn't want that. A friend who would do something like that for you? You really only ever find one of those. She'll be all right, you'll see. And no matter where she goes, she'll be your friend. Okay?" I nod, holding back sobs.

"Thank—thanks, Guildmaster," I whimper, my lip trembling.

Wigglytuff suddenly switches back to his silly, idiotic self. "C'mon! That frown isn't any good 'less it's upside down! Silly Squirrel!" I manage a watery smile. "That's it! I knew the old Squirrel was still in there! Feel any better?"

"Yup. I think so."

"Goodies! Now, go back and tell everyone that Kirlia's okay and she'll be out soon~! Yoom-tah!" With that, he skips away, probably to munch on another Perfect Apple. You gotta like the guy.

I wipe my eyes, put on a small smile, and leave. As I exit, I hear something…crying. I turn and notice someone stalking away, but I can't tell who it is. Probably best to leave them alone. I go to my room to hang out alone for a while. I'm not really hungry.

* * *

Dusclops's POV (Wowzies, something new! All will be revealed…nope!)

Dusclops. The name still feels funny to me. I've grown accustomed to it, but it's all been very strange.

I know it's wrong when I sneak up to listen to the conversation. The Pokémon need some private time. But I'm not exactly in the habit of being a completely good Pokémon myself.

But I'm still a Pokémon. I feel, I wish, I regret. More often than not, I find myself thinking about the past and what _would _have been…

At the end of the conversation, I stand up and turn to leave, pondering what to do next, when I notice Treecko next to me, not realizing I'm here. He's sniffiling, tears running down his face. He stands up and leaves, and I quietly follow, in the shadows. I reveal myself to him outside. "What?" he asks, the tears sounding in his broken voice.

"That speech about friendship…you miss them…"

"Shut up! I do not!"

"You do. I'm not your rival anymore, Treecko. Remember that; we're teammates. Friends…" I reach out to put a hand on his shoulder, but he slaps it away.

"Yeah, well, I don't care right now. I don't care. I…I want…I want…" Treecko breaks off, fresh sobs overtaking him.

"Treecko…I know. I understand. I want to see them again too," I murmur.

"I was so sure…and it turned out to be…someone else…"

I sit down and close my eye. "But crying doesn't solve anything," I continue, as if he hasn't spoken. "You must be strong."

"I…I _hate _being Treecko! I _hate _going through puberty again! I _hate _crying about things! I want the old me back! I want my friends back!"

Okay, that's it. I've had enough. "Treecko, stop it. I'm tired of this. What would the old you say if he saw you like this? You need to get ahold of yourself, and get through training, and you _will _get the old you back. So just stop crying, or you'll never get through this!" I snap. Amazingly, Treecko's crying grows softer and eventually stops.

"Okay," he whispers. He pushes himself up and treks back up to the large Wigglytuff head that is now our home. I follow suit.

I feel, I wish, I regret. I am Dusclops. I am an antihero. I am a friend, Treecko's friend, reborn into a better life. I am Dusclops. I was a villain, an evildoer, a henchman. I am now aspiring to be a hero. I will be my old self again, but better. Kinder.

I am Dusclops.

No.

I am Dusknoir.

* * *

**SURPRISE! Yeah, it wasn't a surprise…**

**If you still don't understand, here it is!**

**Right after the end of the Special Episode, everyone was happy and began to move to their lives.**

**Except it wasn't over.**

**They were transported to the time when the collapse actually froze time, and that's when Grovyle was a 15 year old Treecko, and Dusknoir was a 16 year old Dusclops, brand new to his evolution. Any unborn Pokémon were still born; it was all the same (mostly) but happier, less…post-apocalypsey. The differentiating timelines clashed, and as a result the future Pokémon and the past ones are…meshed. It's odd, but it's all I could come up with! Time is so paradoxy! Urgh!**


	7. I get to see my parents (Lotta new POVs)

**Happy Late New Year! I hope you all had a great Christmas (or Hanukah, or Kwanza…)!**

**I'm definitely not going to be able to update for a while, and I deeply apologize. I also apologize for going way too fast, and I might lose interest in this story soon…I'll try to update…**

* * *

(Back to Squirrel's POV!)

I'm pacing around in the girls' room after dinner. I'm upset.

"Squirrel, it isn't your fault. She chose to save you," says Chimecho.

"Yeah. And anyway," adds Servine, "she's probably okay. You know what they say, no news is good news!"

I only shake my head and continue my pacing. Suddenly, Chatot barges in.

"Squirrel, you're needed in Wigglytuff's chamber," he pants, looking a bit…starstruck? Oh, no.

"Okay…" I mumble, padding with him. When I walk into the room, my fears are confirmed. Sitting next to Kirlia's parents (I assume) are…

"Hi, Mom, hi, Dad."

* * *

(Now a new POV! It's Flame, the former human)

I survey my daughter proudly right when she walks into the room. She looks so much like an explorer already! At least, compared to the _I-hate-exploring _attitude she had before. One glance shared with Thunder confirms that he's thinking the same thing. Squirrel looks embarrassed to see us and utters a "Hi, Mom, hi, Dad" when she walks in.

"Hi, Squirrel! You miss us?" asks her father with a laugh.

"What are you doing here?" Squirrel hisses between clenched teeth.

"We heard about the, erm, accident…and we were summoned by Wigglytuff. Consider it a parent-teacher conference," explains Thunder, his voice losing its playfulness and becoming grave.

"Okay. Am I…am I…in trouble?" asks Squirrel in a quiet voice. I walk forward to wrap my tail around hers and am about to reassure her when—

"Nope! You're not in trouble!" sings Wigglytuff, startling us all. "You're never in trouble for having a friendly friend! Friends! Friends!" He then proceeds to dance around. Wigglytuff certainly hasn't changed. I smile in spite of myself.

"Okay. Um, Mrs. Gardevoir…" Squirrel mumbles, walking over to Kirlia's parents. I'm not worried, as they had talked the situation over with Thunder and me earlier. They understand.

* * *

(Treecko's POV)

I put my hands behind my head as I recline in my room with a sigh. I had really thought that I'd seen Thunder. Though he's not the friend who accompanied me through time, he's still close. But no, it turned out to be some girl I didn't know or ever want to. That had happened last night, but I'm still brooding over it. And I have a right to! Don't I?

"Treecko, you all right? You've been kinda spacy…" asks a voice. I look up and huff through my nose at Bidoof…erm, Bibarel.

"Why do you care?" I snap.

"I…I was just trying to be nice…" murmurs Bibarel, looking down.

I huff. "Sorry. I've just got a lot on my mind right now. And no, I _don't _want to talk about it."

"Okay, then. I hope you can feel better soon, yup, yup." Bibarel turns to leave, but then two Pokémon appear in the doorway. A Ninetales and a Luxray.

"…Bidoof?" gasps the Ninetales. My head snaps toward her.

"Whoa, whoa…Bidoof! You've evolved! Just like us!" laughs the Luxray.

"No…Flame? Thunder?" gasps Bibarel. "By golly, how you've changed! Call me Bibarel, by the way."

"Yeah, it's us…Bibarel!" laughs Thunder. Wait. Laughs _Thunder_.

Thunder.

They're here. I can't breathe.

"It's been so long! How have you been?" cries Flame.

"Been just fine, by golly, and I sure know how fine you two have been doing! Famous, a kid…"

"Oh, right, how's Squirrel been?" inquires Flame.

Squirrel? Wait. That Luxio.

That's their _daughter?_

I fall out of bed, catching their attention. "Ahem," I mutter, standing back up.

"Hiya, who're you?" asks Flame kindly.

"I'm Gro…Treecko. I'm Treecko." I fold my arms. "Thunder and Flame, huh?"

"Yep, that's us!" chuckles Thunder.

"Well…been wanting to see you guys for a long time…" I don't know how to go about this! How do I go about this?!

"Have you now? Well, that's good to hear!" replies Flame.

"Yup. If you'll, uh, excuse me, I have something to do…gotta go meet my partner, Duskn…lops. Dusclops. Ahaha," I laugh nervously. I begin to scoot away.

"What do you mean? He's right here," says Bibarel. I cock my head and turn around.

"Hey, Gro," says Dusclops. I jump.

"Don't _do _that! Anyway…Dusclops, look who's visiting the Guild!" I cheer with a false-happy voice. I gesture to Flame and Thunder, who are grinning awkwardly at us.

Dusclops looks at the celebrities, and he's immediately flabbergasted. "Oh, heeyy…guys…"

Flame walks forward. "Okay, you two are acting weird. What's going on?"

I exchange a look with my partner. I know he's thinking the same thing: either tell them and have a happy reunion, or remain safely wrapped up in false identities and have nobody remember our past mistakes. He nods once to me.

Happy reunion it is.

I clear my throat. "We-ell…you guys, like, went to the future, right?" Flame nods. "Erm, well, I've been to the future too and, um, I, um, I'm like, in the past now…"

"Oh, for the love of—" groans Dusclops. He walks forward, pushing me back. "You guys went to the future, stopped the destruction of Temporal Tower, right? Well, for reasons unknown, everyone in the future survived. And we were sent to the past, to the time when time finally collapsed, yet we retained all our memories. I'm Dusknoir—reformed, I assure you—and that's Grovyle." Everyone stares at him. "What? I'm a former assassin for Dialga, I know things."

* * *

**Yeeeah, I'm not showing the reactions till next time. Peace out, sorry if the chappie's bad…*ashamed face***


End file.
